ISLAMABAD: The Bulgarian Embassy has requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to cancel the registration of the stolen Bentley from UK that was recovered from Karachi Defence by the Pakistan Customs authorities.
The Embassy of Bulgaria wrote a letter to Foreign Ministry, maintaining that they did not have possession of the car and feared it could be misused for some illegal activity.
However, how the car stolen from London was brought into Pakistan by Bulgarian Embassy under the diplomatic arrangement and unlawfully sold to an individual. Mystery shrouds all these aspects.
The car was brought for former Bulgarian ambassador to Pakistan in November 2019 and was cleared at the port through documentation provided by the foreign embassy. Importantly, the diplomats are allowed to bring duty-free vehicles during their posting in Pakistan. The vehicles can be used without paying the duty till the diplomats are serving in the home country.
Aleksandar Borisov Parashkevov, the Ambassador of Bulgaria to Pakistan, was involved in the import of stolen Bentley. He was also involved in import of liquor beyond his jurisdiction, consequently, Bulgaria called back its Ambassador Alekandar Borisov Parashkevov in 2020 because of his involvement in corruption.
In 2020, Bulgarian Ambassador has been called back by the Bulgarian government because of this Bentley car issue. The car was imported by the Bulgarian ambassador availing his diplomatic position, but it was in use of a Pakistani.
Ambassador Aleksandar Borisov Parashkevov has minted money by importing and selling Bentley and liquor during his short stay in Pakistan.
This luxury vehicle was bought to Pakistan on the basis of an exemption certificate 6021.
Any vehicle bought by a foreign ambassador is allotted a special number and the Bentley was allotted CD-09-13. These vehicles cannot be used by anyone except the ambassador himself, but the car was sold later.
Nonetheless, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked the customs department to conduct an operation to retrieve the stolen vehicle.
The foreign affairs ministry said Bulgaria’s incumbent ambassador to Pakistan has distanced himself from the stolen Bentley, saying that “He does not have the car and its registration should be cancelled.”
The MOFA had asked the Deputy Collector Customs Enforcement Karachi to recover the car after which a raid was carried out on the house where the vehicle was parked.
It is now evident that the car was brought to Pakistan lawfully and was cleared through diplomatic assistance, but how a stolen car was brought to Pakistan, this question still remains unanswered.
Sindh’s Excise and Taxation Department registered the luxury car on the name of the former Bulgarian ambassador while the Bentley had already been allotted a number earlier when it was imported.
The question that arises now is that through which law was a foreign diplomat registered in the local tax system.
The Customs has also nominated Sindh’s excise department in the first information report registered for the case.
The value of the car is more than $0.5 million in the international market which is at least 120 million Pakistani rupees. The duty of the car after arriving in Pakistan rests at 300 million rupees.
Currently, the car is in the possession of Pakistan Customs.
